Mailer type business forms must serve a wide variety of customer requirements. Several features that are almost universally desirable include the ability to print on a large amount of the mailer, a built-in reply envelope that accepts a conventional size personal check without folding, a statement portion, and a remittance coupon or stub portion for being returned along with the check remittance.
Fourteen-inch, pressure seal Z-fold built-in return envelope products are conventionally imaged on a laser printer in the simplexed mode (one side only). From a print processing standpoint, this is an advantage. However, because the document is simplexed, there is not much space available for variable imaging. These areas generally include room for a statement or invoice, room for a remittance coupon or stub portion, and room to create the return envelope. With conventional three panel documents, one panel is used for the outgoing address panel and the two remaining panels are used to meet the remaining requirements of the mailer. More specifically, on conventional existing pressure seal Z-fold return constructions, the face of the top panel is generally used for both the remittance and the statement or invoice, the middle panel is used to create one side of the return envelope and the bottom is used to create the second side of the return envelope. Pressure seal adhesive or co-adhesive is provided on one and/or the other of the middle panel and bottom panel so that when the Z-fold mailer is formed, the return envelope is simultaneously created. Accordingly, to remit payment, the customer removes the combined statement/remittance portion, severs the remittance stub and inserts it in the reply envelope together with the personal check remittance. A re-wettable adhesive is typically provided on the reply envelope flap, which is folded to the back of the reply envelope to seal the remittance therein.
In the above-described 14 inch, Z-fold return mailer construction, the bottom panel serves a dual purpose. It bears the outgoing address and the side having the outgoing address defines the backside of the return envelope when the mailing is Z-folded. As a result, however, part of the outgoing address is visible on the backside of the return envelope.
It is the primary object of the present invention to provide an intermediate for a mailer, and a mailer, with a great deal of printable area or indicia, as well as a reply envelope, that is readily constructed and utilized. It is a further object of the invention to provide an intermediate having the foregoing characteristics that is compatible with print to mail systems as well as other sealing systems. It is also an object of the invention to provide an intermediate having adhesive patterns and areas that do not substantially overlap when the intermediates are stacked in advance of Z-folding, so that blocking of the sheets is avoided.
According to the present invention, an intermediate for a mailer type business form and the mailer itself are provided which achieves the objectives set forth above. The intermediate comprises a single quadrate sheet of paper, which may be easily run through a printer to print indicia on either one or both faces. In an exemplary embodiment, the outgoing address and the reply address are printed on the same face of the intermediate, and thus is adapted to printing in the simplexed mode. The intermediate may be easily Z-folded to form the final mailer and sealed by conventional techniques. The mailer is easy to open and the reply envelope is easy to assemble and utilize.
In an exemplary embodiment, the back the three panel document includes opening instructions, for example on the first, top panel; includes a preprinted return address, preferably on the second, middle panel; and in an exemplary embodiment, the third, bottom panel is the back of the return mail piece, on which an advertisement or other information may be provided.
The intermediate for the business form provided according to the invention is imaged in the simplexed mode and then folded and sealed in a conventional manner. When the end user receives the document, one vertical side is removed and then the remainder of the document is opened by breaking adhesive regions defined at the bottom and other vertical side, using a letter opener, index finger, or the like. The folded first and second panels define the retain mailer. A stub portion located at the side of the form is removed to define the back of the return mail piece. The statement and remittance panel is then detached from the return mail piece. The statement can retained, while the remittance portion is filled out and inserted in the reply envelope. A check is then inserted into the return envelope and the envelope is sealed by wetting the adhesive flap of the reply envelope and applying it to the back of the return/reply mail piece.
As is apparent from the foregoing, the invention overcomes a number of barriers and satisfies the requirements of a mailer-type business form. The construction of the invention can be used on all folding/sealing equipment that is currently available. It also allows the check to be placed in the return envelope without folding, which gains wide customer acceptance. Finally, the construction of the invention can be imaged in a simplexed mode, which from a print processing point of view is an advantage, since all variable information can be provided on one face of the intermediate.
Thus, according to one aspect of the present invention, an intermediate for a mailer type business form comprises a quadrate sheet of paper having parallel top and bottom edges, parallel first and second side edges perpendicular to the top and bottom edges, and first and second faces; first and second fold lines parallel to the top and bottom edges, and dividing the sheet into substantially equal size first, second, and third panels; an outgoing address area being defined on the first face of the first panel, the outgoing address area being spaced from the first and second side edges; a reply address area being defined on the first face of the second panel, the reply address area being spaced from the first and second side edges; a remittance area being defined on the first face of the third panel. The sheet of paper is free from a line of weakness adjacent and parallel to the second side edge, thereby to maximize an available space of the first, second and third panels for printed indicia and to define the reply envelope.
A first line of weakness is formed in the first through third panels parallel to and spaced from one of the side edges. This line of weakness defines a tear-off strip providing for ready opening of a mailer constructed by Z-folding the sheet along the fold lines.
First adhesive areas are provided at least in the tear-off strip for holding the first through third panels together as an outgoing mailer when the sheet is Z-folded about the fold lines; and second adhesive areas are provided on the second face of the first and/or second panel for defining the first and second panels into a reply envelope that is substantially sealed along side and top and bottom edges thereof.
A reply envelope closing flap is defined by a portion of the second panel and has an activatable, for example re-wettable, adhesive on the second face thereof for sealing the reply envelope. A line of weakness is formed in the first panel parallel to and spaced from the side edge as to define a removable stub generally corresponding to or slightly larger than the reply envelope closing flap for being removed when the reply envelope is formed.
According to another aspect of the present invention an intermediate for a mailer type business form comprises a quadrate sheet of paper having parallel top and bottom edges, parallel first and second side edges perpendicular to the top and bottom edges, and first and second faces; first and second fold lines parallel to the top and bottom edges, and dividing the sheet into substantially equal size first, second, and third panels; an outgoing address area being defined on the first face of the first panel, the outgoing address area being spaced from the first and second side edges; a reply address area being defined on the first face of the second panel, the reply address area being spaced from the first and second side edges; a remittance area being defined on the first face of the third panel. A first line of weakness is formed in the first, second and third panels, parallel to and spaced from the first side edge, the first line of weakness defining a tear-off strip providing for ready opening of a mailer constructed by Z-folding the sheet about the fold lines. First adhesive areas are provided in the tear-off strip for holding the first through third panels together as an outgoing mailer when the sheet is Z-folded about the fold lines and second adhesive areas are provided on the second face of the first and/or second panel for defining the first and second panels into a reply envelope that is substantially sealed along side and top and bottom edges thereof. A first line of demarcation is disposed parallel to the first line of weakness extending the majority of the dimension of at least the first and second panels parallel to the first line of weakness, the first line of demarcation being closer to the first line of weakness than to the second side edge, and defining a flap in each of the first and second panels between the first line of demarcation and the first line of weakness, the flap in the second panel defining a reply envelope closing flap. A third adhesive area is provided on the second face of the reply envelope closing flap for sealing the reply envelope along an end edge thereof. The first and second adhesive areas of the second face are longitudinally offset with respect to the first adhesive areas of the first face so that upon stacking with a second face of one intermediate disposed to overlie a first face of another intermediate with top edges aligned, the adhesive areas of the first and second faces will not substantially overlap.
In the intermediate as described above, the first line of demarcation may be a line of weakness, at least in the first panel. Further, the reply envelope closing flap dimension from the first line of demarcation to the first line of weakness is, in a preferred embodiment, larger than the dimension of the outgoing address area from the first line of demarcation toward the second side edge, so that when the reply envelope closing flap is folded about the first line of demarcation said second flap sealingly engages the first face of the first panel and the closing flap substantially covers any remaining portion of the outgoing address area.
The longest dimension of the interior of the reply envelope formed from the intermediate is at least about six inches so that the reply envelope can receive an unfolded bank check therein. Also, security screening is typically provided on the second face of the first and second panels to provide confidentiality to the reply envelope.
According to still another aspect of the present invention a mailer type business form is provided comprising the following components: first, second, and third substantially equal size quadrate substantially opaque panels, the second panel being sandwiched between the first and third panels, and each panel having a top face and a bottom face, first and second side edges, and first and second end edges; outgoing address indicia provided on the top face of the first panel; reply address indicia provided on the top face of the second panel; remittance stub indicia provided on the top face of the third panel; a first line of weakness formed in the first, second and third panels, parallel to and spaced from the first side edge thereof, the first line of weakness defining a tear-off strip providing for ready opening of the mailer; first permanent adhesive areas provided in the tear-off strip and at spaced locations along at least a portion of the second side edge holding the first through third panels together; second permanent adhesive patterns provided on the bottom face of the first and second panels defining the first and second panels into a reply envelope that is substantially sealed along three edges thereof; wherein the sheet of paper is free from a line of weakness adjacent and parallel to the second side edge, thereby to maximize an available space of the first, second and third panels for printed indicia and to define the reply envelope.
The reply envelope closing flap dimension from the first line of demarcation to the third line of weakness is preferably larger than the dimension of the outgoing address from the first line of demarcation toward the second side edge, so that when the reply envelope closing flap is folded about the first line of demarcation the second flap sealingly engages the top face of the first flap, the closing flap substantially covering any remaining portion of the outgoing address indicia.
In a preferred embodiment, the mailer further comprises a first line of demarcation disposed parallel to said first line of weakness extending the majority of the dimension of at least said first and second panels parallel to said first line of weakness, said first line of demarcation being closer to said first line of weakness than to said second side edge, and defining a flap in each of said first and second panels between said first line of demarcation and said first line of weakness, said flap in said second panel defining a reply envelope closing flap; and a third adhesive area on said second face of said reply envelope closing flap for sealing the reply envelope along an end edge thereof.